Yankees' Anthony Volpe Calls NY's Struggles 'Brutal' After Blown Game vs. Red Sox

A full-blown panic is happening in the Bronx after the New York Yankees blew a ninth-inning lead in a 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday night that dropped their record to 5-15 in their last 20 games.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe described the loss as "brutal."

If it's possible to assign one loss in a 162-game schedule as the worst of the season, the Yankees might have had theirs in the series opener against their biggest rival.

Carrying a 3-1 lead into the ninth inning, Yankees closer Clay Holmes gave up the game-tying two-run homer with two outs to Masataka Yoshida. Ceddanne Rafaela put the Red Sox up 5-3 with a leadoff two-run shot in the top of the 10th.

The Yankees had the heart of their order come up in the bottom of the 10th. Soto hit a single to put runners at the corners, but Boston closer Kenley Jansen retired Aaron Judge, Alex Verdugo and Oswaldo Cabrera to end the game.

Another painful part of the loss is the Yankees actually got a good start from Nestor Cortes Jr. He allowed one run and struck out eight over six innings. Quality starts have been rare for a team with an MLB-worst 6.70 ERA from the rotation since June 13.

Since an 11-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on June 12 that improved their record to an MLB-best 49-21, the Yankees have lost 15 of their last 20 games. They have fallen three games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.

New York still has the third-best record in the AL, but the Minnesota Twins and Red Sox are within 4.5 games for the top wild card spot.

The trade deadline is shaping up to be very interesting for the Yankees, as they try to find answers to slow down this extended slump.